ARTICLE I TOWN MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1
The annual town election shall be held on the first Tuesday in April of each year. All officers which are required by law to be elected by ballot and all matters, the determination of which are required by law to be on the ballot, shall be considered at this time.
There shall be two scheduled town meetings each year. All business other than that stated above, will be considered either at the Semi-annual Town Meeting to be held the third week in May or at the Semiannual Town meeting to be held in the third week in October at times designated by the Board of Selectmen.
The Moderator shall to the time and date establish any adjournment of such meetings. The Board of Selectmen, by a majority vote, may convene Special Town meetings at any other time during the year. Any adjournment of such meetings shall be to the time and date established by the Moderator.
Section 2
Warrants for all town meetings and elections shall be posted at the post office, the municipal office building, the municipal light plant, the Beaman Memorial Public Library, and the place of the town meeting and election at least seven (7) days before an election and the Semi-Annual Town Meeting and no later than fourteen (14) days before a Special Town Meeting.
Section 3
One hundred (100) legal voters, including the presiding officer and the clerk, shall constitute a quorum, provided that a number less than a quorum may vote an adjournment; and that not more than Seventy-five (75) shall be required to maintain a quorum once the meeting has been called to order by the Moderator and that a quorum of Seventy-five (75) be required to reconvene any adjourned session of any such meeting.
Section 4
If the Moderator, or the meeting by vote, so orders, only voters shall be admitted to a defined portion of the place of meeting and the check list shall be used in the enforcement of such order.
Section 5
All amendments and/or motions made from the floor at the meeting must be given to the Town Clerk in
writing prior to the adjournment of the meeting.
Section 6
All department heads, elected and appointed boards and committees, except the School Committee, will provide to the Town Administrator, prior to April 1 of each year, a list of all positions to be filled for the next fiscal year indicating the number of hours to be worked by each such employee indicating those working less than twenty (20) hours and those working twenty (20) or more hours. Those working less than twenty (20) hours per week will not be entitled to retirement or health insurance benefits in conformity with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 32 and 32B, and the cost of such benefits will therefore not be included in the next fiscal year’s appropriation for retirement and health insurance costs. The School Committee will provide to the Town Administrator, prior to April 15th each year, the number of
positions eligible for retirement and health insurance benefits and the total cost of health and retirement benefits for all of the school employees for the next fiscal year. All such information is to be used to calculate the amount required to be included in the line item for health and retirement benefits. Once the amount required to fund retirement and health benefits for all town and school employees has been calculated and appropriated by Town Meeting, there well be no increase made in hours of part-time employees that would increase their eligibility for retirement or health benefits unless the proponent secures a vote from Town Meeting to increase the appropriate line item to fund such increases.
Section 7
If a two-thirds vote of Town Meeting is required by statute, the Moderator may, at his or her discretion, decline to verify a voice vote by polling the voters or by dividing the meeting, and may record the vote as a two-thirds vote without taking such a count.
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